Transport

Memorandum of evidence by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) to the inquiry by the Transport Committee

The Spending Review needs to be rural-proofed to ensure that rural bus services and road maintenance does not suffer disproportionately. New ways to appraise transport investment and ensure effective sub-national planning of transport schemes are needed. NB This written evidence has been submitted to the Transport Committee and is now its property.

Written in 1992, just as a wave of road protests engulfed Middle England, this classic sets out how the Department of Transport in its various guises was 'bewitched by roads'. With road-building back on the agenda, its republication provides a timely reminder about the dangers indeed futility of the 'roads mentality'.

Are the new Local Transport Bodies heading in the right direction?

This report produced jointly with Campaign for Better Transport looks at proposals from the newly formed Local Transport Bodies and finds nearly 60% of their budgets will be spent on new roads. No cycling is funded at all, and bus schemes make up just 7% of the projects. We are calling for Local Transport Bodies to make sure local people and environmental groups are consulted on these projects.